The National Government is currently undertaking projects worth about Sh50 billion in Mwea, area, Kirinyaga county.
Mwea MP Kabinga Wachira said once the projects were completed, “the impact would be a very positive one and would forever change the dynamics of the area in terms of infrastructure, business and the well-being of the area residents.”
Speaking in Mwea while launching the tarmacking of 13 kilometers of roads within Ngurubani town whose tender is worth Sh860 million, the Legislator said the project was the one which President Uhuru Kenyatta promised the residents when he visited the area in February this year.
“When President Uhuru Kenyatta visited this town early this year, he was shocked by the muddy condition despite the area being the main economic hub of Kirinyaga County,”Wachira said.
“Although Mwea happen to have been forgotten in terms of infrastructure development in the past, the planned tarmacking of various road networks in the area will completely change this and connect the area to other places for economic gains,” Wachira noted.
He also cited the Sh19 billion Thiba dam whose completion late next year will also boost agricultural activities in the area.
“We also have the KEMRI at Wamumu area under construction at a cost of Sh15 billion, Sh3.6 billon Kandongu road, besides a Sh300 million sewerage system within Ngurubani town,” he said.
The first time Legislator however decried the high population he serves (237,000) as compared to other constituencies with an average of 40,000 yet they received the same amount of CDF allocation.
“This unjust and unfair allocation of the CDF has left my people a marginalized lot yet the economic outturn from this constituency is huge and only comparable to areas which produce coffee, tea and other related cash crops,” he said.
County Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri who was also present said the local hospitals were not ready to cope with the Covid- 19 outbreak.
He said it was hypocritical for the local leadership to hide its inability to cope with the pandemic and that the best thing that should have been done was to open up and admit its lack of capacity to enable the National Government to come in and assist.
Ndambiri like Wachira objected to the proposed rice husks timber manufacturing factory being set up outside Mwea as allegedly being planned by the county government.
“Since the raw material for the production of the rice husks is in Mwea, we want the factory put up right here and not outside Mwea but those planning otherwise should in the same vein put up tea or coffee factories in our area,” he said.
The World Bank is said to have set aside about Sh400 million for the project which when completed will see rice farmers earning more income from the husks which have been disposed of by burning in the past.
By Irungu Mwangi
